Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board

Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board Monday, January 13, 2020 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. 777 E. Waterman, Bldg. 200 Wichita Transit Van Maintenance Facility Wichita, KS 67202 Meeting Notes Members present: Elizabeth Ablah, Jack Brown, Maxine Bostic, Jane Byrnes, Barry Carroll, Russell Fox, Tom Lasater, Christopher Parisho, Marcia Schroeder, Tyler Stutzman & George Theoharis Members Absent: City Staff: Scott Wadle, Senior Management Analyst, Lee Carmichael, Public Works & Utilities Guests: Vincent Hancock, Kelly Wentz, Casey Boothinghouse, Lisa Frey Blume, Erik Maybee, Clayton Pearson, Chole Parisho, Amanda Aguila Gonzalez, Alan Kailer, Dave & Sharon Hewitt, Gerald Baker, Keren Thomas, John Moore & Kim Neufeld Item Description 1. Call to Order: Jack Brown, Chairperson, welcomed board members, City staff, guests and called the board retreat to order at 5:30 pm. 2. Approve Previous Meeting Notes: The December 9, 2019 meeting notes were approved. 3. Public Comments: • Clayton Pearson made the following comments: a) that DAB Councils should each be allotted $250 for short-term project remediation; b) that the Park Department is proposing to construct a $400K parking lot to address overflow parking for Botanica patrons; and c) once the new water plant is constructed, the old water plant will be ‘mothballed’ and could present an opportunity for repurposing of the facility. • Gerald Baker & Keren Thomas provided a written statement [see attachment] that reiterated their request for a crosswalk at 9th & McLean. Lee Carmichael, Public Works & Utilities, stated that the City plans to install crosswalk signage at this location. This item will be revisited at future meetings. 4. Wichita Pedestrian Crossing Treatment Guidelines: Scott Wadle, Senior Management Analyst, provided an overview of the guidelines. According to Scott, these guidelines were funded by a grant from Health ICT. Scott noted that the document incorporated national guidelines and best practices from other communities. The intent of the guidelines is to provide guidance to City staff and attempt to standardize the processes for installing crosswalks throughout the City. After considerable discussion, Barry Carroll moved [Elizabeth Ablah] moved to defer this item for consideration at the February 2020 meeting. Addition discussion was then held. It was suggested that board member read the guidelines and be prepared to make a recommendation at the February meeting. Motion carried 7-0. [four members had left the meeting to attend the Mayor’s swearing in ceremony] 5. Review of the City’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Crash Data: Amanda Aguila Gonzalez, University of Kansas Master of Public Health student, provided preliminary information from the analysis 1  of the City of Wichita’s crash data. Ms. Gonzalez made the following comments: crash data was reviewed from 2008 t0 2018; the data is still preliminary; there were a total of 1,818 crashes for both cyclists and pedestrians: cyclists - 921 and pedestrians – 897; there were three fatalities; 93 individuals suffered some kind of injury; there were 261 ‘hit & run’ accidents; most accidents were during the daytime; most accidents did not occur in inclement weather; cyclists and pedestrians were in the correct street position for 60% of the accidents; a ‘heat map’ showed that there were clusters of accidents along Broadway, Seneca, Douglas and along 13th Street. Elizabeth Ablah, board member, asked what are the implications of the report? How can the report inform decision making? Alan Kailer, member of the public,, asked if the data will be searchable and how will it be updated? Clayton Pearson, member of the public, asked the following: how does the ‘built environment’ impact crashes? After considerable discussion, the board thanked Amanda for her informative report and issued an ‘open invitation’ to provide follow up information in the future. 6. Wichita Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Board Agenda Priorities: Jack Brown lead a discussion to help identify the 2020 action items for the board. After some discussion, the following were identified as possible future action items: a) hold an ‘Open House’ at the Advanced Learning Library [with help from consultants]; b) ask for public input at the ‘Open House’ for bike/ped projects; c) start the process of making recommendations regarding the CIP and Operating Budgets; d) seek clarification on board members’ terms; e) schedule a special call meeting for a board retreat that would allow more time for visioning and long-term planning; f) develop a calendar for 2020; g) schedule a pedestrian tour [Delano Path Corridor] in the spring and biking tour in the fall; h) invite staff from the City Manager’s Office to discuss a proposed Legislative Agenda for 2021; and i) encouraged members to attend their respective DAB meetings. 7. Board Member Project Reports: • Waco Improvements- Douglas to Central: Barry reported that work has commenced. • Redbud Path – K-96 Path to 159th: Barry reported that work has commenced 8. Announcements: • George noted that Mike. Armour is now the City of Wichita’s traffic engineer. and suggested that he be invited to a future board meeting. 9. Closing Thoughts: • WAMPO Webinars: Jane suggested that members participate in the webinars. • Bike/Ped Count: Jane provided a copy of the recent report. • Safe Routes to School: Jane suggested that increased funding is needed. • WIN Meeting: Maxine invited to attend the annual meeting on January 27, 2020 meeting in the Boathouse @6 pm; the cost is $25 per person. • ‘Strong Towns’ Book Review: Jane noted that Bike Walk Wichita’s book club is reading ‘Strong Towns’ and Russell will be leading the discussion. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8 pm. The next meeting of the board will be held on February 10th, 2019 @5:30 pm. Respectfully submitted. 😊😊 Barry Carroll, Board Secretary 2